There are four strands of analysis that focus on
- Covid-19 related deaths that occurred (based on the date of death) in Northern Ireland, including age-standardised rates of Covid-19 related deaths;
- Covid-19 related deaths in relation to excess mortality - the number of deaths above expected levels;
- Pre-existing conditions of Covid-19 related deaths, that is, any mention on the death certificate of a condition that pre-dated or was independent of Covid-19; and
- Equality groups, health and socio-demographic characteristics of Covid-19 and non-Covid-19 deaths.
NISRA weekly provisional death statistics, which are based on death registration information collected by the General Register Office, count all deaths where COVID-19 was mentioned on the death certificate by the doctor who certified the death, whether or not COVID-19 was the primary underlying cause of death.
This document outlines the information NISRA holds on deaths in Northern Ireland, and how data on the number of deaths are produced. It includes where the data come from, how cause of death is identified and the definitional differences between single or sole cause of death and underlying cause of death – to help users better understand and interpret the data.
Cause of Death Information in Northern Ireland: A user guide